History & Origins
Pachisi is considered the national game of India, with a history stretching back at least to the 6th century AD. The name derives from the Hindi word pacis, meaning twenty-five — the highest score achievable with the cowrie shells traditionally used as dice. The game is played on a distinctive cross-shaped board, originally made of embroidered cloth, and in its classic form involves up to four players racing their pieces around the board to the central home square.
The earliest references to Pachisi appear in Indian literature from around the 6th century, and the cross-shaped board design has been found carved into the floors of the caves at Ellora, dating to around 500–600 AD. By the Mughal period, the game had become a royal obsession.
A close relative, Chaupar, was mentioned in the Mahabharata — the ancient Sanskrit epic — in a famous gambling scene where the Pandava prince Yudhishthira loses his kingdom, his brothers, and even his wife in a rigged game. Whether this refers precisely to Pachisi or a related game is debated, but it demonstrates how deeply dice-and-race games were embedded in Indian culture long before written records clearly distinguish between them.
Cultural Significance
The most extraordinary chapter in Pachisi's history belongs to the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. According to historical accounts, Akbar was so devoted to Pachisi that he had a vast courtyard at his palace of Fatehpur Sikri converted into a life-sized Pachisi board. The squares were inlaid in red and white stone, and Akbar played the game using sixteen enslaved girls from his harem as living pieces, dressed in the four colours of the game.
The courtyard still exists at Fatehpur Sikri today and can be visited — it is one of the most remarkable physical remnants of any board game in history, a palace-sized monument to a ruler's passion for play.
Pachisi spread throughout the Indian subcontinent and beyond, carried by trade and migration. When the British colonised India, they brought the game back to Europe, where it was simplified and commercialised. In 1896, a modified version was patented in England under the name Ludo — a Latin word meaning "I play." Ludo removed much of the strategic depth of the original but became one of the most widely sold board games in the world.
The Board and the Game
A traditional Pachisi board is a symmetrical cross shape, divided into squares. Each arm of the cross serves as a "lane" for one player's pieces, all converging on a central square called the Charkoni. Players move their pieces out from the centre, around the outer path, and back in along their own lane to reach home.
The randomness of the cowrie shell throws is balanced by meaningful strategic choices: when to form defensive pairs (two pieces together cannot be captured), when to press forward aggressively, and when to hang back. Capturing an opponent's single piece sends it all the way back to start — a devastating setback that the game's fans find endlessly satisfying to inflict.
Why It Endures
Pachisi and its descendants are played by hundreds of millions of people worldwide in one form or another. Ludo remains a household staple in Britain, South Asia, and much of Africa. The original Pachisi continues to be played in traditional form across India. The game's genius lies in its balance — enough luck to keep things unpredictable, enough strategy to reward skill, and enough social interaction (particularly around the cruelty of sending opponents back to start) to make every game a story.